


Rebels of Ink

by TheWriterTriad



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dystopian, Fanfic, Original Characters - Freeform, Third Squidbeak Splatoon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 13:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11968143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWriterTriad/pseuds/TheWriterTriad
Summary: It's over, the Octarians have won. Now controlling the newly renamed city of Octopolis, the Inklings have been cast out and now live in wretched conditions in Inkling Gorge. Forced into being mere servants under their tyrannical masters, Inklings long for the day when a new incarnation of the Squidbeak Splatoon will rise up to defeat the Octarians. But this Splatoon isn't just composed of Inklings, because nowadays, things aren't as black and white as they may seem.Written by: Shads





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an alternate universe sequel to Splatoon 1, exploring what possibly could have happened if Agent 3 had been defeated and the Octarians won. Due to this, the events of Splatoon 2 don't happen, but some of the technology seen in the game, like new weapons, specials, sub weapons, ink rails, dash pads, and sponges will be present.

It was that day, the servant’s market. A cold, chilly wind was nipping the poor Inklings who were struggling in their cardboard and corrugated tin houses that populated Inkling Gorge. A few Octarian soldiers were marching on patrol, young children out in the streets scrambling to get out of the way. One of them tripped and landed face first in a pile of junk, causing the patrol to laugh and sneer. The child whimpered softly hearing them jeer at him, but dared not look back and remained in the trash heap until the patrol had rounded the corner and disappeared.

Akira sighed and shook his head as the kid’s friends helped him clamber out of the rubbish, and together they ran into one of the nearby shacks. Oh how he hated the fact that his people were forced to suffer like this.

It had been extremely unexpected, to say the least. The Octarians, a race thought to be long extinct, had suddenly came swarming up out of the valley they had been forced to live in for over a century, overwhelming their last line of defense. Cap’n Cuttlefish, the last member of the original Squidbeak Splatoon, had been publicly executed by the leader of the Octarians, a man that called himself Emperor Octavian. To much of the Inkling’s surprise, it had been the Octarians that had stolen the zapfish a year prior, and Cuttlefish and his Agents had been the ones to stop them. Callie and Marie, unmasked as Agents 1 and 2, had been taken prisoner. As for Agent 3, the most mysterious among the group - so mysterious that they didn’t even know his name - he had vanished somewhere. 

With their saviors gone, the Inklings were quickly subverted and forced into Octo Valley, now renamed Inkling Gorge, losing almost everything they owned. Turf War weapons were confiscated, gear was seized, and all luxuries were taken away. In less than seventy two hours, Inkling civilization had reverted to a sort of dark ages - food and medicine were scarce, electricity and heating/cooling systems were a thing of the past, and amusements were nonexistent. All the Inklings did was work now. The majority were employed by Octarian factories, but the lucky ones were employed by the wealthy Octarians in the new city of Octopolis. These Inklings worked as nannies, maids, servants, cooks, and did other menial tasks. 

Akira himself was heading into the city, hoping to find a job. Today was the servants’ market, a day in which Inklings looking for work could gather in the center of Octopolis without needing permission to enter the city gates. 

The teenager had tried to get other jobs, but none of them worked out. Although he was strong and fast, mining and factory work didn’t seem to be compatible with him. The boy almost always messed things up. He was much more accustomed to playing Turf Wars. Akira had been quite good at the sport, too. It was a pity that he didn’t seem to be good at anything else.

Now the young boy didn’t exactly fancy the notion of doing menial tasks for some rich Octarian lord, but he was getting desperate. Money was scarce, and it was getting to the point where finding food was difficult. He needed a job, even if they were barely paid at all. 

“Halt!” The cry pierced the air as Akira walked into view of the guards standing in front of the gate. Two twintentacle Octarian troops and an Octosniper. 

“State your name and your business, boy.” The Octosniper demanded. It was clear he was the leader. Privately Akira seethed at being called a mere boy - he was eighteen, an adult for crying out loud - but adopted a compliant demeanor.

“I’m called Akira.” He replied evenly. “I don’t have a last name, since I’m an orphan. I was hoping to go to the servants’ market to look for work.” 

The Octosniper studied him before gesturing to one of his henchmen, who quickly searched the teen.

“He’s all clear, boss.” The troop reported. 

“Very well.” The Octosniper looked at Akira with a mix of suspicion and disgust. “Do you know the rules, or are you so dumb you don’t even know them?”

“No, sir, I’m very aware of the rules.” Akira assured him. “I’m not allowed to buy anything, I can’t address any Octarian citizens unless they address me first, I can only go to the market and back unless someone chooses to hire me, and I must be back in Inkling Gorge before dark unless my employer wishes to keep me in the city a bit longer.”

“Well what do you know? Inklings actually have the capability to be smart.” The second Octarian troop sneered as he opened the gate. Akira didn’t rise to the bait, and quickly walked into the city, averting his eyes from any Octarians that happened to stare at him. With a loud, dull thump the huge metal gates closed behind him.

He officially was in enemy territory. 

Not wasting a moment, the boy began to walk down the street, doing his best to ignore the jeers, strange looks, and blatant taunts that are directed towards him, although he did clench his hand into a fist when a rock struck the back of his head. 

Normally this would have made for a long, torturous walk to the market, but as Akira failed to rise to the bait the Octarian youths tormenting him gradually lost interest and drifted off to other activities. The last ten minutes of the walk were spent mostly in peace, with Akira finally arriving in the plaza. A group of assorted Octarians pushed roughly past him in their haste to run into the tower, no doubt off to a match, and several other denizens of the city were browsing the shops in Booyah Base. 

It was all so foreign, yet at the same time quite familiar to the boy. Had it really been almost five years since he had played Turf Wars and used a weapon? To Akira, it seemed much longer. But Ink Battles were a sport of the Octarians now, a forbidden pleasure to the Inklings. Forcing himself to wrench his gaze away from the tower, he ducked down a side street that led to the market.

To his great surprise, it was rather empty. There were a few Inklings standing around, being examined and looked over by some rather vicious Octobombers, and one unlucky girl appeared to have been selected by a nasty looking Octoball. Doing his best to ignore her terrified face, Akira plodded on over to the Octarian trooper that was obviously in charge of running the market, letting his presence be known. 

Six or seven hours must have passed in the sweltering heat, and although the various evolved octopi that came through were offered drinks by the Octarian in charge, the Inklings weren’t so lucky. A few of the thinner ones even fainted from the heat.

Akira managed to remain upright, although even he was getting thirsty. The market was starting to fill up - more Inklings arrived, more prospective employers walked into the outdoor shop - but the din of conversation suddenly came to a screeching halt as a group of Octolings walked in. One, dressed in finery, was obviously of a high rank and the two one dressed in armour had to be her bodyguards.

“L-lady Eri.” The leader of the market stammered out as the girl continued walking amongst the Inklings up for grabs, inspecting them with cursory looks. “If I had know you were coming I would have kept a few of the better ones that were already taken.”

“It’s fine.” She replied curtly. “This was an unplanned stop.” 

Akira frowned as he studied the newcomers. Lady Eri? Who was she? He hadn’t heard of any high rankers named that, but perhaps she was new to the upper class elite? Or maybe she had recently retired from military service? She certainly seemed to be a warrior.

Almost as if she could sense his eyes on her the Octoling turned to stare directly at him. Akira froze as she carefully began to make her way towards him, eyes never straying from his. She paused before him and began a visual inspection, before a smirk appeared on her face.

“You certainly seem strong.” She noted with barely a hint of approval in her voice. “I think employing you in my household would be worth my while. What is your name, boy?”

“Akira.” He replied, privately wishing he could snap her neck at that moment. Apparently the Lady Eri accepted that, for her smirk grew wider. 

“I think I’ll be taking you along with me.” She decided. “Ronan, you stay by my side. Inali make sure he doesn’t try to escape.” 

With that she turned and began walking back into the city, the male bodyguard only a few paces behind. The female one, who apparently was named Inali, grabbed a hold of his wrist in an iron grip and began marching after them, causing Akira to stumble before managing to keep pace with her.


	2. Chapter 2

If the fact that Octarians out and about instantly deferred to Lady Eri, regardless of what they were doing, wasn’t a big enough hint that she was practically royalty, the fact that she lived in a humongous house in the wealthiest part of town was a pretty good indicator of her status. 

Akira could barely see around the packages that he had been ordered to carry, a huge mountain of paper parcels and boxes sealed shut. What was in them he didn’t know, although he guessed that the ones from Booyah Base contained clothing, and that the mouthwatering scent from the largest one on the bottom had to be some sort of food. It was almost a struggle to carry them all, and Akira was thankful he had made a point of keeping his strength up over the past four years. 

Inali took pity on him and held the door open, allowing the boy to stumble into the house and put them on the table in the dining hall. 

“Get him some water, Ronan.” Lady Eri ordered as she began to inspect the packages, sorting them into a few piles. “I imagine he’s quite parched.”

Ronan nodded silently before vanishing into the kitchen. A few moments later he reappeared holding a crystal cup filled with water. Akira was hesitant to accept food or drink from the Octarians - after all, it could easily be poisoned - but not wanting to appear rude he accepted it and carefully drained the glass. 

“Thank you.” He murmured, causing Inali to smile.

“Oh, we’ve got a polite one!” She said. “That’ll be a nice change of pace.” 

The new servant wondered what she was talking about, before realizing that with a house of this size, Lady Eri probably had employed other Inklings to cook and clean for her. At the very least it seemed like he would have some company.

“So tell me, Akira.” Eri said as she finished sorting packages. “Does anyone expect you to come home? Because if it is possible, I would prefer for you to just remain here.” 

“I’m an orphan.” Akira admitted. “I live out on the streets, so there is no home for me to return to.”

“In that case, I believe I shall show you to your quarters.” As she spoke, Lady Eri rose from her seat and collected a pair of packages from the table. “Inali, Ronan, make sure that the grounds are secure.”

“You got it, boss!” Inali replied cheerily as Ronan nodded once more. The two collected a pair of weapons, the former grabbing an Octobrush while the latter laid a hold of a Rapid Blaster Pro. Without missing a beat the duo walked out the door. Lady Eri led Akira deeper into the house, waving aside his offer to carry the packages for her. Eventually they entered an elevator, and the Octoling pressed the button to go down. 

Akira was tense as the machine descended into the earth, while his employer was completely relaxed. The elevator rumbled to a halt, and with a silent hiss the doors slid open. The Inkling had been prepared for a few different things - little to no light, sleeping on a thin mattress if there even was a mattress, and a general lack of creature comforts. What he saw was the exact opposite of what he had been imagining. 

“Banzai!”

Akira was so startled he let out a yelp as two dark masses came flying at the elevator. A third one suddenly jumped in front of them, and the trio collided and fell to the ground with a couple of dull thumps. Groans and muttered curses wafted into the air as the pile of limbs on the floor set about untangling themselves. 

“My apologies, Eri.” Said the one that had obviously jumped into the fray at the last minute. “I expected it to be Inali and Ronan, so I decided to have the others practice an ambush.”

She was a strange sight, to be certain, some sort of combination of an Inkling and an Octoling with the two extremely long Inkling tentacles in the front but shorter Octoling ones in the back. The black marking only covered part of her eyes, and she was wearing Octoling armour.

The boy and girl on the floor, however, were full Inklings, both of them with dark blue tentacles. What drew Akira’s attention, however, was not the fact that they had on decent clothing and looked as if they had access to a steady food supply. No, it was the fact that they had Turf War weapons, a blatant violation of Octarian Law. The boy was in possession of a Carbon Roller, while the girl had a pair of pistols. Moments later, a third girl dropped down from the ceiling. She had charcoal gray tentacles, an unusual color for Inklings, and had a Kelp Splatterscope strapped to her back. Akira openly stared at them, his shock causing him to forget his manners. The gray tentacled girl remained stoic, the girl with the tentacles giggled softly, and the only boy gave him a friendly smile.

“It is perfectly fine, Kaida.” Eri replied. “Their training is of the utmost importance.”

 

“Indeed.” Kaida, as the hybrid was apparently called, agreed before her gaze flickered over to Akira. “I take it he is the new recruit?”

“Yes.” Eri’s answer came quickly, with no hesitation. Akira looked around, utterly baffled as to what was going on.

“You look confused.” Kaida stated flatly. “Go on and ask your questions, I know that you’re dying to do so.”

“What’s going on? Why do they have weapons, Inklings haven’t been allowed to have weapons for years?” Akira frowned, suddenly a bit more guarded in his posture. “This isn’t some sort of trick to get me to break laws so you have an excuse to attack me, is it?”

“Keep that suspicion, boy.” Kaida stated flatly. “It will serve you well later on.” 

“Relax, Akira.” Eri waved a hand nonchalantly. “This isn’t a trick or a trap of any sort. At least, not for you.” 

“Then what is going on here?” By now the Inklings on the floor had picked themselves up, and all three had put their weapons away. 

“It’s called getting some good old fashioned payback for the Inklings!” The one with the pistols cheered, causing the Kelp Splatterscope user to groan. 

“No, it’s called a coup d'etat.” She replied coldly.

“Who are all of you, anyway?” The roller user laughed at Akira’s statement, as if he had been expecting that question to materialize sooner or later. 

“This is Wraith, Phantom, and Chameleon.” Eri said, gesturing to the boy, the gray tentacled Inkling, and the girl with the dual pistols. “Otherwise known as Daniel, Amaya, and Astrid. And you already know Kaida’s name, as well as that of Ronan, Inali, and myself.” 

“I like him!” Astrid said, suddenly standing right in front of him. Akira almost jumped, but he was used to being scared by the Octarians for laughs and managed to keep himself largely composed. All he did was flinch at her sudden closeness, causing the girl to giggle.

“I don’t.” Amaya grumbled. “Not that I make it my business to question your orders, Eri, but how many more newcomers can we expect to arrive?”

“Of course you don’t like him.” Astrid chuckled. “You don’t like anyone!” 

Amaya rolled her eyes, hand inching towards her trigger. Daniel sighed and walked over to stand next to Akira. 

“Don’t mind them.” He said with an easygoing smile. “They get along like Inklings and water. Just don’t get involved in their arguments and you should be fine.”

“Right…” Akira, if he was being honest, really didn’t trust any of these strange Inklings, nor did he have a lot of faith in Eri and her two bodyguards, either. This was a strange situation for him to be in, and quite frankly he was sort of at a loss as to how to proceed with the situation. Based on his initial impressions the only one the teen felt comfortable around was Daniel, and that was only because his Roller would be ineffective at long range. With his speed, Akira would have no problems outrunning him if he chose to escape.

“Come with me, Akira.” Eri’s voice pulled the newcomer away from his musings. “Time is of the essence, and it is of the utmost importance that your training begins as soon as possible. Kaida, accompany us. Daniel, Amaya, Astrid, you all are dismissed. Feel free to pursue whatever pastime you wish.”

Without waiting for an answer the stately Octoling began to walk down one of the hallways. Still suspicious, Akira followed her. Kaida brought up the rear, one hand positioned on her Splash-o-matic in case the most recent addition to the group decided to try anything funny. If the Inkling gave even the slightest hint of trouble, the Octoling-Inkling hybrid would have no problem splatting him. This secret of theirs could not be allowed to escape.


	3. Chapter 3

“I am sure that you have many questions.” Eri said as she lead Akira down the hall. “I shall do my best to answer them. First off, I would like to assure you once more that you are not in danger here, nor shall you find that I wish to see harm come to you.”

“My apologies, but I don’t quite believe that.” Akira murmured coldly. He didn’t trust the Octarian race as a whole, not after what had happened all those years ago. Seeing how cruel they were to poor, innocent children on the streets and watching them humiliate his people had given him an un satisfactory opinion of them, to put it mildly. 

“It is to be expected, the others did not believe me either when they first arrived.” Eri replied. “Nonetheless, whether you chose to believe me or not my words are true. You are safe here.”

“Unless, of course, you end up betraying us.” Kaida muttered darkly, the intent behind her words clear. Akira stiffened and shot her a look, unflinching under the glare of her strange eyes. 

“There’s no need for that, Kaida.” Eri scolded the girl. “He has not done anything to cause us to view him in such a light.”

“He’s also done nothing to discourage us from acting this way, either.” Her lieutenant protested. 

“That’s enough, Kaida.” Eri’s voice held a tone that brooked no argument. Kaida grumbled under her breath, but fell silent as they continued to meander through the hallway until arriving at a pair of locked doors. Eri produced the key and inserted it into the lock, but glanced back at Akira before opening it. 

“What I am about to show and tell you must remain top secret.” She ordered, turning deadly serious. “I am choosing to do this because I trust you. Understand?”

Akira nodded silently, understanding the gravity of the situation. With little fanfare Eri turned the key, and audible click resonating in the air as the lock was undone. The doors were opened, revealing a pitch black room that Eri walked into. With a bit of hesitation, Akira followed her in. For a moment he could see nothing, until finally Kaida - who was still bringing up the rear end of the little group - flicked a switch. Lights crackled on, the stark brightness reflecting off of the polished walls. Akira couldn’t help but gasp as the contents of the room were revealed.

Weapons. The room was filled to the brim with weapons. There were the older styles of weapons used by the Inklings before the Octarians rose out of the rubble of Octo Valley to conquer them, displayed side by side with newer ones developed under the Octarians. Rollers, Inkbrushes, Chargers, Splatlings, Shooters, Blasters, and Sloshers, along with more of those dual pistol weapons that Astrid had and what appeared to be umbrellas. There was a whole wall of bombs, all of the different varieties, and a separate section housing the other sub weapons. Specials in a can were stored in a cabinet, and a few workstations with weapons in various states of repair were pushed up against the back wall. A sign was next to an elevator, giving directions as to which floor had what sort of training facilities on it. 

Akira was stunned, and pretty certain that this kind of armory was highly illegal. That only made him more confused. What on earth was going on here?

“You should see the expression on your face. It is absolutely priceless.” Eri’s voice snapped him out of his daze, and he began to walk around the room examining the weapons. 

“What...how…” He was still in a state of shock, a rarity for the normally composed teen. Eri smiled, having expected such a reaction. It matched the ones that the others had when she had first shown them this place. 

“You are currently standing in the armory of the third Squidbeak Splatoon, of which I am the leader of.” Eri explained, causing Akira’s head to snap towards her. The third Squidbeak Splatoon? How was that even possible? Cap’n Cuttlefish, the leader of both the first and second incarnations of the Splatoon had been executed, and Callie and Marie - who had been outed to the public as Agents 1 and 2 - were imprisoned. Only shadowy Agent 3 had escaped. No one knew who he was or where he went, only that not even the Octarians knew what had happened to him. Most likely he had perished somewhere. 

Now Amaya’s words about a coup d'etat made sense. There could only be one reason why Lady Eri was showing him this, and why she was so willing to arm Inklings despite it being against Octarian law. 

“You’re trying to overthrow the Octarian leaders.” Akira stated. Eri smiled a sly smile, while Kaida let out a sarcastic laugh. 

“What ever gave you that idea?” The hybrid inquired. 

“Enough, Kaida.” Eri chastised the younger fighter. “This boy has a lot of talent, and while you may not be happy with the fact that I recruited another person I expect you to treat him with respect and trust.” 

Kaida grumbled a bit under her breath. Truth to be told, she wasn’t happy that Eri was bringing someone else into this plot of theirs. The more cephalopods involved, the more chances there were of someone either being captured and forced to spill the beans or someone betraying them. She would eventually warm up to the idea, it would just take some time. 

“I am not a fan of how Emperor Octavio has gone about clinging to the notions of war between your species and my own. Nor do I approve of how your race has been subjugated.” Eri walked over to stand next to him. “There are only a few soldiers left who fought in the Great Turf War, and I believe it is pointless to get revenge on Inklings who weren’t alive when it happened. I wish for there to be peace between our species, but for that to happen Lord Octavio cannot remain in power. We need to overthrow him first.”

“To accomplish that I decided to revive the Squidbeak Splatoon, and set about searching for new recruits. Inali and Ronan were my right and left hand soldiers when I was in the army, and they share my feelings regarding the Inkling Octoling conflict. During my search I also found Kaida here in a back alley, and of course Amaya, Astrid, and Daniel were recruited. You are now the eighth, and final recruit for this operation.” 

Akira blinked a few times, shocked that this was actually happening. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his people freed - most Inklings probably wouldn’t mind seeing the Octarians get defeated - but to find an Octoling wanting to see this happen was mindblowing. 

“And why exactly do you wish for this to happen?” Akira demanded. “You’re an Octoling, why go against your own kind?”

“I, along with several others, have no love for our king.” Eri confessed. “However, unlike the others, I do not wish to merely hold these beliefs and never act upon them. Now then, choose your weapons. You will be trained with all of them, but it is important for you to have at least two that you primarily use.” 

Akira glanced around, searching for one in particular. Back in the good old days when Inklings could participate in Ink Battles he used a Custom Dual Jet Squelcher. The long range weapon was perfect for taking out snipers, and its sub and special weapons were perfectly suited for his playstyle. Eagerly he picked it up, running his hand along the surface of the weapon fondly. 

“I’m definitely taking this one.” He said aloud before considering the other weapons. He had long range covered, now what about short range. After a bit of mental debate he walked over to the section housing the Inkbrushes. 

“And I think that since I have long range covered one of these would be nice to have, but I don’t know which one I want to take yet.” The teen added. “Is it alright if I think on it for a while?”

“It’s not a problem at all.” Eri gestured for him to follow her out of the room, Kaida closing the doors behind them and ensuring that they were locked. “Now then, let me explain a bit more about what we are doing here. Our mission currently is a two pronged one. First off, we are trying to weaken Emperor Octavio. But we are also trying to find out what happened to Agent 3.” 

“I thought he was killed.” Akira admitted. Sure, there were rumors that Agent 3 had managed to escape the Octarians, but those were just rumors. On the official records, Agent 3 had been killed, and his body was never recovered. Most likely he had been blown to bits by some sort of explosive device. 

“Only a few of the high rankers know this, but he managed to escape.” Eri replied. “Whether or not he has perished since then I do not know, but if he is still out there he would be a valuable ally. Do you have any other questions about what we are trying to do here, or have I provided a sufficient explanation?” 

“I think I’m good.” Akira took a moment to respond, thinking things over. “Admittedly I’m still trying to wrap my head around this. Forgive me if it takes a while to sink in.” 

Eri and Kaida quickly gave him a tour of the facilities, showing the teen the shooting range and the meeting room as well as the infirmary and a library full of information on various subjects related to their mission. Some time during all of this Ronan appeared at Eri’s side, almost as if he were a ghost. The male Octoling spoke no words, but merely saluted the higher ranked woman before vanishing once more. 

Akira did not know why he didn’t speak. Perhaps the bodyguard was mute? Either way, it appeared that his wordless report was a good one. The regal look on Eri’s face did not change, nor did she raise the alarm. 

Soon after the tour of the hidden facilities was completed, Eri released him into Kaida’s care and walked off towards the elevator that lead back to the surface. Kaida was blunt with the teen, outlining several rules and procedures that he was to follow. Weapons were to be left in the underground facility at all times, provided he was not out on a mission. To the public, Akira and the other Inklings were nothing more than servants in Lady Eri’s household, and when they were not on assignment he was to act in this role accordingly. All activities of the third Squidbeak Splatoon were to be conducted in absolute secrecy, and were not to be spoken of to anyone. 

Wanting little to do with the teen, Kaida pulled Daniel aside once she had finished going over the rules and informed the other boy that he was to show Akira around the house, explain their normal daily activities, and otherwise fill him in on what was expected of him. After that she left, vanishing into what appeared to be a small room and locking the door behind her.

“Oh, don’t mind Kaida’s grumpiness.” Daniel said in a reassuring tone as he and Akira turned in their weapons at the armory. “She acts like this with every new recruit, except for Amaya.”

“How come Kaida didn’t act like this with your gray tentacled friend?” Akira muttered sourly, not at all happy with having to part with his weapon. 

“Oh, Amaya’s an even bigger ice queen than Kaida is.” Daniel’s response was paired with a laugh. “Nothing phases her, she just has a cold shell up twenty four seven. Kaida may be stubborn sometimes, but even she knows when she’s outmatched. If it makes you feel better, she treated me and Astrid the same exact way.” 

“How long have you been a part of this?” Akira inquired as they arrived at the elevator, the doors opening with a soundless rumble. Daniel led the way into the elevator and pushed the button for the first floor of the mansion. The trip upwards was swift, and soon the pair of boys was making their way through the ornate house. 

“After Kaida, I’m the oldest non-Octoling member of the group.” Daniel revealed. “This here’s the kitchen. Since we’re supposed to be servants we have to act the part accordingly. Everyone helps out with the meals. Breakfast is served at seven in the morning, lunch is at noon, and then dinner is started no later than six thirty. Standard rules involving safe kitchen behavior apply. One of the Octolings will inform us if a guest has food allergies.”

“Guests?” Akira was confused. With the gravity of Eri’s secret, he did not expect her to have outsiders in her house.

“Eri is a high ranking Octoling. She regularly hosts events here at the mansion, be it a party or some other sort of gathering. We have additional protocols to follow. First off, we are to address Eri only as ma’am, my lady, or Lady Eri. Octolings should never be addressed by name unless it is preceded by lord or lady.”

“I’m not exactly a fan of all this.” Akira said in a sour tone of voice. Daniel sighed and ran a hand over his tentacles. 

“None of us are happy with the arrangement, Eri included.” He said. “She views us as equals, not as mere servants.”

“If you say so.” Akira wasn’t convinced, but let the matter drop. Daniel continued to lead the teen around the mansion, pointing out the other rooms and the duties that were to be performed in them. Eventually they spiraled downward into the official basement level, not the secret one that housed the armory. This had been divided into several rooms, and formed up the servants’ quarters. Three of the doors had names on them, and many more were blank. Daniel stopped by the one next to his own. 

“This will be your room.” He said. “Inali and Ronan will probably take you out sometime tomorrow to retrieve whatever belongings you have from Inkling Gorge, and then have you outfitted for some new clothes. Lady Eri says we have the rest of the day off. It’s late, and I don’t recommend that you stay up much longer. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

With that the teen vanished into his own room. Akira sighed before opening the door. It would be nice to have an actual place to call his own again, even if it was outfitted for a mere servant. 

To his great surprise the place was actually a decent size, and well furnished. There was a queen sized bed with a night table next to it, matching the desk, bookcase, and dresser. Shelves were hung on the wall, situated between two doors. One led to a closet, the other to a bathroom that was complete with a shower. 

The room had a thick and fluffy grey carpet, and the walls were painted a nice shade of beige that complemented the dark-colored furniture. Overall it was a very homey place, much more comfortable than Akira had been expecting. The boy had figured he’d find a mattress if he was lucky, not something as luxurious as this.

Sighing, he recalled Daniel’s words. If the teen was to get an early start tomorrow, it was best if he was rested. With that in mind Akira wasted no time in crawling beneath the covers of his new bed, marveling at how soft and comfortable it was. It had been a long time since he had a bed, and though it would have been nice to stay awake and rejoice in the fact that for once he was not sleeping on the ground Akira’s brain had other plans. Swiftly his eyelids slid shut, and soon the Inkling boy was lost in a dream.


	4. Chapter 4

A pounding at the door startled Akira from his dreams, causing him to groggily climb out of bed and stumble over to answer whoever was requesting his presence. It was revealed to be Astrid, who greeted him with a smile on her face.

“Morning, sunshine!” She chirped. “I figured I should make sure that you got up at a reasonable hour. You should get washed up, we have to make breakfast. Here, Daniel said that you could borrow one of his spare uniforms.”

So saying this, the dark-skinned girl handed him a pile of clothes before skipping off down the hall. Akira blinked a few times before retreating back into his room, shutting the door behind him. The teen took a quick shower, the warm diluted ink feeling wonderful against his skin. It had been a while since he had felt so clean.

The uniform that he put on was a simple one - shorts and a black shirt with what Akira assumed was Eri’s personal crest. Then he was out the door and heading for the kitchen. 

“Good morning.” Daniel greeted him as the teen hurried through the door. The other boy was busy making pancakes. Amaya merely grunted at him as she continued to clean some shellfish to put into a frittata she was working on. The gray Inkling barely spared a moment to give him a glance, letting Akira know that the sniper was not fond of him. Astrid was busy bouncing around doing all sorts of odd jobs, everything from peeling fruit to brewing coffee. 

“What should I do?” Akira inquired, not certain how to proceed. 

“Help Astrid set the table.” Daniel ordered, pausing a moment from his cooking. Astrid latched onto the newcomer’s wrist and dragged him over to a cupboard where she quickly filled his arms with eight plates and cups. This surprised Akira. He didn’t expect them to be fed at the same time as the Octolings. 

“We’re eating with Eri and the others?” He blurted out as Astrid grabbed the silverware and led him into the dining room. 

“Uh-huh! We only ever eat in the kitchen when there are guests over.” Astrid explained. “Same thing with Kaida, since she’s part Inkling.” 

“That reminds me, why is Kaida a hybrid?” Akira began to place the dishes around the table, straightening the tablecloth as he went. “I doubt that an Octarian would marry an Inkling.”

“No one knows, not even Kaida.” Astrid muttered as she set down the silverware. “Eri said she found her unconscious in a back alley, and when she woke up she couldn’t remember anything, not even her name. Eri thinks that she was experimented on by the Octarians, but even that is just a guess.”

 

“Wow…” Akira honestly didn’t know to say. He hadn’t expected Kaida to have such a sad backstory. Perhaps that was why she was so bitter all of the time. The pair finished setting the table in silence, before ducking back into the kitchen to help with last minute cooking issues. Soon they were carrying stacks of pancakes, the frittatas, and other miscellaneous breakfast items out to the dining room. Eri, Inali, and Ronan made their appearance as the Inklings finished arranging the meal on the table, and soon Kaida had wandered up from the basement.

“So, plans for the day.” Eri announced as the group collectively began to eat. “Akira, Inali is going to take you out to get measured for your uniforms and to pick up your stuff from Inkling Gorge. Ronan, you are to investigate that lead I discussed with you earlier. Kaida, prepare the training room. Daniel, Amaya, Astrid, you are to perform your general duties for the day. Tonight Akira is going to be assessed.”

“Assessed? What does that mean?” 

“You’ll find out.” Kaida said in a cryptic manner, not really answering Akira’s question. The rest of the meal was consumed while the occupants of the house made idle chatter, before the group dispersed for their daily activities. Inali led Akira out of the house, the Inkling doing his best to ignore the stares and taunts from other Octarians. When one of them ran up and punched him in the face, however, things were different. The teen saw red, and his hand clenched into a fist at the sound of laughter. 

“Hey kid.” Inali’s voice suddenly cut through his angry haze. “You do know who this is, right?”

“An Inkling scum.” The youth replied cockily. Inali frowned, reaching for her Octobrush.

“No, he is a servant of the esteemed Lady Eri, and I don’t believe she will be pleased if he is unable to work because you gave him a concussion. She is having guests over in a few days, and we need all hands available.”

“Lady Eri?” The Octarian youth paled, and the laughter gradually cut off at Inali’s words. “You mean the Lady Eri that was our great Emperor Octavio’s handpicked general? That Lady Eri?”

“The one and the same.” Inali said gravely, nodding her head. “Now off with you, boy. Lady Eri shall not be pleased if we are running late.” 

With that she strode forward, roughly yanking Akira along behind her. The teen scowled at the ground, not trusting himself to say anything as the crowd dispersed. Inali was grumbling something under her breath, something that probably wasn’t favorable about the younger Octarians. 

She didn’t speak until they were several blocks away from the group that had gone after Akira, and only then did the Octoling slow to a stop. 

“Are you okay?” She inquired, studying the rapidly forming black eye on Akira’s face. “Great, that one’s going to be there for a while. You aren’t feeling dizzy or anything are you?” 

“I’m fine.” Akira said softly, reaching up to feel the area around his eye. It was starting to swell up a bit, and the bruise would stick around for several days. “Thank you for pulling me away like that. I was worried that I’d snap and go after them.” 

“Ah, that would have been bad.” Inali decided that now was the perfect time to state the blatantly obvious. After all, an Inkling fighting back against the Octarians was grounds for a lifetime imprisonment. That is, assuming something else didn’t happen. Executions weren’t common nowadays, but that didn’t mean they were a thing of the past. 

Akira merely nodded. He didn’t like his Octarian overlords, but he also didn’t want to die before he had a chance to fight for his people. In hindsight, having Inali get him out of that situation was for the best. If he snapped now he not only jeopardized his own life but the lives of the rest of the third Squidbeak Splatoon. It was strange of him to have to think about how his actions affected others now, after having been on his own for several years. It was not an unpleasant thought, however. Quite the opposite, Akira actually welcomed having teammates again.

“We’re here.” Inali’s voice dragged him out of his thoughts, and he looked up just in time to see them enter a small shop. Fancy clothing was displayed on mannequins, while fabric samples for custom clothes took up an entire wall. It was definitely a place for the well to do. 

“Greetings, and welcome to Tailor’s Custom Clothes.” A Twintentacle Octotrooper said, ignoring Akira’s presence. “How may I help you today?”

“This guy here’s the newest servant for Lady Eri.” Inali announced, gesturing towards Akira. “She sent me here with him so he can get outfitted for his uniforms.” 

“Ah, yes, the esteemed Lady Eri.” The shopkeeper’s voice took on a reverent tone. “I take it she wants the usual set?”

“Absolutely.” With a sigh the shopkeeper beckoned Akira forward, pulling out a tape measure. A snap of his fingers caused a rather short Inkling girl to come scurrying out of a back room, dressed in a simple but elegant outfit. No doubt Tailor had made them herself. Normally Inklings were not in possession of such fine clothing, but in this case it would have been odd if an employee of a fine clothing shop had a trashy uniform. 

Tailor began measuring Akira, ordering the shy Inkling to write them down on a clipboard. The whole process took about five minutes, and then Tailor ordered the girl to get back to work. Said Inkling bowed slightly before scurrying off into the back room once more. Akira was ignored after that while Inali hashed out the details of the uniforms with the owner, occasionally glancing over at Akira to make certain he hadn’t wandered off.

Soon enough the pair was on their way out of the city, heading for the gates that separated Octopolis from Inkling Gorge. They passed through it without incident, which wasn’t surprising since Inali was an Octoling. The pair certainly attracted some odd looks from the Inklings there, with good reason considering that few Octarians, let alone Octolings, ventured into the harsh place. 

If Inali was surprised that Akira led her to a back alley that had only a meager selection of items, she hid it well. Given that there wasn’t a lot things there - a few sentimental items, a couple of sets of clothes, and perhaps one or two books - it did not take long for Akira to pack them away in a bag. Once more the pair was on their way to a new destination, although now they were heading for Lady Eri’s mansion. It did not take long for the massive building to come into sight, and soon after the pair was on the grounds and heading into the home.

The rest of the day was spent in what was considered normal activities for the residents of the mansion. Akira joined his fellow Inklings in doing the cooking, cleaning, tending the gardens, and other assorted tasks. It was hard work, but not particularly difficult. It wasn’t like the Inklings were suffering. Eri had told them they could take breaks as needed, and in fact encouraged them to do so. 

All too soon evening rolled around, and the members of the third Squidbeak Splatoon drifted towards the elevator that would take them to their base of operations. Most of them were relaxed, chatting among themselves. Akira, on the other hand, was tense. The time for the assessment had finally come.


	5. Chapter 5

“Alright then.” Eri announced after everyone had grabbed their chosen weapons from the armoury and gathered in one of the conference rooms. “As you all know Akira is getting assessed tonight. I trust I don’t need to remind you all as to what that means?”

No one spoke up, although Akira still had a very confused look on his face. 

“Could someone please explain to me what this assessment entails?” He inquired, a sort of frosty undertone to his voice. Kaida growled at him, hand reaching for her Splash-o-matic. Curiously she also had a new weapon strapped to her back, although what it was Akira didn’t know. 

“You’re going to be fighting us.” Eri said calmly. “All of us. You’ll fight the Inklings first, then Kaida, then Inali, and then me. If Ronan gets back, he will take you on with Inali. If you could change your tentacles to yellow, that way it is easy to see who is on which team, that would be greatly appreciated.”

Akira stared at the Octoling general in shock. He was to fight all of them, after not having put his battle reflexes to use in almost four years? Was Eri out of her mind? Any of the Inklings would easily be able to hand him his butt on a silver platter, and then Kaida and the Octolings were all battle hardened. He wouldn’t last five minutes against them.

“Is it simply to see how well trained you are.” Eri added, picking up on the newest recruit’s hesitancy. “You don’t have to win any of the fights. In fact, I will be surprised if you do, simply due to the fact that it has been several years since you last fought, and all of us have been training for combat.”

That didn’t do anything to diminish Akira’s doubts, but he knew there was no way for him to get out of this. Nothing more was said, and soon the group was heading out of the room. It was back to the armory, only this time instead of checking out the weapon choices, the group entered the elevator. It was a tight fit with all of them squeezed into the tiny room, but somehow they managed. 

Eri pressed the button for the fifth level, and with a soft rumble the car began to sink into the earth. No more than thirty seconds later the machine came to a halt, the doors sliding open to reveal a large room. It was a battle arena, a rather extravagant one at that. There were several sniper nests scattered around the area, walls to provide cover and a vantage point to shoot at, and a large open area in the center that was perfect for a firefight. Two respawn pads - one on each end of the arena - were already turned on, ready to restore anyone that got splatted. There were other things as well, things that Akira didn’t recognize. Some sort of conveyor belt-like object, small blocks dyed yellow and blue, strange orb-shaped contraptions that were bolted to the floor...those were also installed throughout the room, though what they did was a mystery to Akira. 

Amaya, Daniel, and Astrid walked over to the other side of the room, standing on one of the respawn pads. Eri gestured for the new recruit to go stand on the other one, while she, Inali, and Kaida moved off to a protected viewing area. 

“The first assessment begins in three...two...one...start.” Inali shouted. Instantly all four Inklings bolted off of their home base, running into the battlefield. Amaya inked a path up to one of the sniper nests, tossing a sprinkler down into the clear center area. She then began to lay down paths for her teammates, occasionally trying to pick off Akira. Daniel was slowly making his way through the arena, inking turf as he went. As for Astrid, she abandoned any pretense of a strategy and charged straight towards Akira. He tensed, but didn’t yelp when she jumped out from behind a wall and opened fire with her dual pistols. 

Instantly Akira returned fire as he backpedaled, a bit clumsy as he was severely out of practice. As he retreated he failed to realize that one of the black and yellow conveyor belts was directly behind him. All that the yellow tentacled Inkling knew was that suddenly he was flying through the air. 

“Oh, so that’s what that does.” Akira muttered before turning into a squid and landing on the ground. Moments later he was standing, only to duck out of the way as Daniel came up behind him and tried to smash his Carbon Roller onto the teen’s head. 

Akira bolted. It was the logical solution, when facing a tactical disadvantage. No, he was not running away it was a...a...a strategical retreat! Yes, that was what it was. Akira was just putting some distance between the two short range weapons and himself. Getting to the Dual Jet Squelcher’s optimal range was the key to victory here. 

“After him!” Daniel hissed, throwing out a burst bomb. Astrid nodded before running off in the opposite direction, planning on looping around to cut their opponent off. The girl headed towards one of the ink rails on the floor A few bursts of ink activated it, and she quickly slipped into her squid form and swam along the rail. Soon she was right above Akira, who was still running from Daniel. Astrid grinned.

“Banzai!” She yelled, jumping out of the ink rail. Her shout attracted Akira’s attention, causing the teen to glance upward. Much to his shock, Astrid was falling out of some sort of rope of ink, and was firing right at him. 

He couldn’t help but let out a small yelp and scrambled backwards, stumbling out of the way of another swing from Daniel’s roller. The blue tentacled Inkling growled and went to throw a burst bomb, only for Akira to suddenly tense up and shoot off into the air. The lone Inkling had superjumped back to his respawn pad, no doubt having done so automatically due to the danger he faced.

“Well, that could have gone better.” Astrid muttered. Daniel sighed. 

“Agreed.” He replied. “You go invisible and see if you can get the jump on him. I’ll lure him to the open and try to give Amaya a clear shot. Switch to hand signals, it’ll work better.”

“You got it, hot shot.” With that the colors adorning Astrid’s body rippled and then the girl vanished. Daniel sighed before stiffening as a shadow dropped down next to him. It was Amaya, the girl having left her sniper nest to seek out a better perch. 

“I’m going to lure him out to the open.” Daniel said softly. “When I do, you’ll have the perfect shot. I’ll signal you if something changes.”

Amaya merely nodded before diving into the blue ink on the ground and swimming off, no doubt to go find some more high ground to occupy. As for Daniel, he lifted up his weapon and began to steadily tread through the battlefield, looking for his prey.

Soon the teen caught sight of Akira, who was prowling the hallways carefully. All was silent, and barely a whisper of movement could be heard from his feet. The kid certainly was a skillful fighter, even after his long period of relative inactivity on the battlefield. A pity that Daniel not only was currently a better fighter than he was, but also had two teammates to back him up. A smirk crossed the boy’s face as a salvo of ink bullets quickly cut through the air right in front of the sole person being assessed. 

Astrid had a wide grin on her face as she slowly reappeared from her position learning up against the wall. Now Akira understood why she was known as Chameleon - the teenaged girl appeared to have the remarkable ability to perfectly blend into the environment. Such a feat was a rarity - no Inkling in living history was able to display this remarkable ability that was one of the signature traits of their ancestors. It probably was quite useful in the battlefield - Astrid would be able to either scout ahead or retreat with little to no chance of detection.

It also was good for ambushes, apparently. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Daniel making a few gestures before closing his hand into a fist. It was clear that this was some sort of signal, and with a wily smirk Astrid vanished again. There were two short bursts of ink from where the girl had been standing, though curiously these were aimed away from Akira and did not seem to be designed to do any real damage to him. Moments later, however, there was a stream of ink bullets flying in from his left, though the source was still invisible.

Akira ducked underneath the bullets before darting to the left to avoid a swipe from Daniel’s roller. He took off running, occasionally glancing over his shoulder at his foes. They threw out a quartet of burst bombs before pursuing him. Daniel was to his back, but Astrid hung a left and inflated a series of sponges to cross a gap filled with water. She quickly flickered back into view, causing the yellow tentacled Inkling they were chasing to come to a screeching halt. Swiftly the boy adjusted his path before running off again. 

This pattern continued on for several minutes, and it eventually occurred to Akira that perhaps they were luring him somewhere. But for now he had to keep on running throughout the battlefield. Eventually he burst out into the open center of the arena, and spun around to take aim at Daniel and Astrid as they rounded the corner and began to charge towards him.

Suddenly a mighty thunk split the air and something slammed into Akira’s back. His vision went dark for a few moments before clearing up. A look at his surroundings told the teen that he was at the respawn pad, and Akira let out several curses as he pieced together what had happened. In the heat of battle he had made a crucial mistake - there were three opponents, not two. Amaya had been patiently waiting in her sniper nest high above the arena, trusting in her teammates to lure Akira into her range. The Inkling’s aim was true, and one stream of pressurized ink would be enough to splat her opponent. Had this been on the battlefield, Akira would’ve been dead.

“That’s enough.” Eri’s voice rang out throughout the air, just as Akira was tempted to spring off the respawn pad and get to work hunting down Amaya. “This part of the assessment is over.”

She would have said more but suddenly the elevator doors opened up and Ronan appeared. The normally composed Octoling had a slight tenseness to his face - his jaw subtly clenched and his eyes just barely narrowed. It was so unlike his normal demeanor that everyone in the group instantly caught on to him. 

He hurried over to Eri’s side and silently saluted before handing her a slip of paper. He then retreated a few steps back to await orders, Inali automatically coming to his side. A hush fell over the room as their leader unfolded the piece of paper and read the words written on the white surface. 

“Fallon has been killed.” She announced after a moment. “Officially on the records it was some sort of disease, but Ronan has found evidence of a poisoning. Akira, the rest of the initiation will have to wait for another time. This is much more important.”

“What do you want us to do, Eri?” Inali inquired. Their leader frowned in contemplation, obviously thinking over her options. 

“Prep for a mission.” She eventually announced. “Ronan, come with me and finish filling me in on the details. Everyone else, get ready to head out and then assemble in the briefing room in three hours.”

“The newcomer can’t be sent out on a mission yet, Eri.” Kaida protested. “He hasn’t received any training.” 

“Well then, it’s a good thing you have three hours, isn’t it?” The high ranking Octoling replied. “You’re all dismissed.” 

With that she strode into the elevator, only pausing to wait for Ronan to join her. With a soft hum the doors closed and the pair vanished from view. Silence reigned supreme for a few moments before Kaida glanced over at Akira.

“Where’s your secondary weapon?” She demanded, causing the teen to jump.

“I haven’t picked one yet.” He admitted hesitantly, not liking the slight snarl that rose up in Kaida’s throat at his words.

“Then go pick one and get back down here.” The Inkling-Octoling hybrid ordered. “We have three hours to teach you enough so you come back from this mission alive.”


End file.
